Alice x Blodhgarm
by Phoenyx634
Summary: Blödhgarm finds epic love when he meets Alice, a young human with a dark secret from her past. Together they will work to save Alagaesia from the evil King, while struggling to overcome their own incompatibility as elf and human. How can there be a happy ending, between a mortal human and an ageless elf?
1. Prequel Part 1

**Prequel: Who is Alice?**

Author Note: This is the prequel of the actual main storyline (the one with Blodhgarm being sexy in it!) so if you want, feel free to go and read the main story first, and when you want to know more about Alice's past (because it _will _come up, new characters etc.) then you can come and read these prequel chapters. The first (actual) chapter is labelled "Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter 1", and all prequel chapters have "Prequel" in them, so don't get confused.

Also note: Alice is a year or two older than Eragon, and major plot events in the books by Paolini diverge from this fanfic from the end of Eldest. Please enjoy and comment!

**Part One: Alice down the Hole**

There once lived a young girl, a Lady in the castle of Urubaen, granddaughter of one of the nobles at court. She had only lived 9 years, and loved to sing and dance and laugh, but also possessed a strong curiosity about all things which, as you know, only the most intelligent young children do.

One evening, she strayed from the feast that the other nobles were occupied with, to seek entertainment elsewhere. Her grandfather, a large and wise man, who knew much more about secret and forbidden things than anyone present could have guessed (even the King), saw her leave with sharp grey eyes under winged eyebrows. He made no complaint, knowing that such frivolity was unimportant to a young mind at the age when it seeks only adventure. For what harm could come to a young girl in a single evening?

Alice ran to the kitchens, where she crawled through the tables and ovens and, dodging chefs and serfs, made her way to the kitchen boy that was often her companion in illicit castle adventures. With a wary glance to the head of the kitchen, he clasped her hand and pulled her out the back way.

"I've got something good to show you." He stated conspiratorially, with a superior smile. He lead her through the passages near the kitchens, and then ducked behind some heavy drapes. "It's here," He said, "I found a secret passage."

"Where?" demanded Alice, eyes sparkling with excitement.

He grabbed her hand and pressed it against the wall they were leaning against. Alice could feel the contours of a grate, of bars covering an entrance about a metre high from the floor. Kneeling, she suddenly heard the sound of an expanse of air that can't be seen, but sensed nonetheless. A faint wind, smelling of damp and ash and rust, blew gently into her face. "It's blocked!" she hissed, disappointed. But the boy shook his head, laughing. "It's rusty, see? Just scrape away at it with something, so we can get through."

"Why don't you do it?" she asked pointedly. He was a boy after all, and a servant. Above all he was bigger than she was, and had stronger hands, though she'd never have admitted that.

"To scared to get your dress dirty?" he sneered. Alice hit him, and the heavy tapestry moved against the wall as they had a brief tussle. A nearby footsoldier looked at the moving cloth with one eyebrow cocked, then decided that the strange things kids get up to wasn't his problem. He walked past, whistling, and the hall was deserted again.

"No need to be mean!" huffed Alice, indignantly.

"I have to get back to the kitchens, but when service is done tonight we can work on it together, okay." He said, unperturbed, and released her from the headlock he had her trapped in.

"Fine." She said. They came out from the tapestry and separated, him for the kitchens, and her to find a heavy object to open the grate with. As Alice walked away, the kitchen boy called out, "Hey, if you get through, _wait for me,_ okay?".

Alice barely heard. With one last dither, the kitchen boy turned and ran back to the kitchens, trusting that she couldn't possibly get into too much trouble in the hour or two before the feast ended.

The grating broke quicker than expected. Within ten minutes, Alice was staring down a dark hole. Without hesitation or backward glance, she crawled in, and the drape swung shut behind her. The passage was as silent as if she'd never even existed. As an intrepid adventurer following a dream of an extraordinary life away from the glamour and shine of the royal court, the girl Alice struck out bravely into the dark. Little did she know that this night would be the start of the greatest adventure in the history of Alagaesia.


	2. Prequel Part 2

Author Note: This is the prequel of the actual main storyline (the one with Blodhgarm being sexy in it!) so if you want, feel free to go and read the main story first, and when you want to know more about Alice's past (because it _will _come up, new characters etc.) then you can come and read these prequel chapters. The first (actual) chapter is labelled "Blodhgarm x Alice fanfic Chapter 1", and all prequel chapters have "Prequel" in them, so don't get confused.

**Part Two: Alice makes an Unexpected Discovery**

The tunnel was dark and narrow, and filled with unpleasant smells. This was in no way surprising, as it was an old section of the general purpose drainage shaft that ran through the levels of the castle, right to the caves at the base. It was dark, and once the wall hanging had settled, quite stifling. The air was stale and reeked of damp, ash and rotting food. Out of use for some time, the smell was neither fresh nor overwhelming. Holding her nose with one small pink hand, Alice steeled her mind. She was going to try to do a magic that her grandfather had recently taught her (the only thing basic enough for a child to learn) against his permission, since she had sworn a binding oath in the ancient language that she would never use it when he wasn't around until he told her she was ready to start practicing magic alone. She knew the dangers of magic well; if not controlled properly, it could soon run rampant and do things you didn't intend, or consume all of your life-energy. However, she was committed to this journey of exploration, whatever the consequences, and didn't consider herself to be outside of her grandfather's presence, anyway. He was still technically in the same building. Her interpretation of the oath was all that mattered. She carefully intoned the short spell, enunciating clearly, holding in her mind her intention, and found and drew upon the fiery knot of energy that was her power from within. As she opened her eyes, she was cheered by the sight of her shaky little were-light, which hovered over her (slightly shaky) outstretched palm.

In the banqueting hall, her grandfather shifted in his seat, as if feeling a sudden itch, and then excused himself quietly from his companions. As he left the hall unobtrusively, his eyes flickered from side to side, betraying his concern, as if to see through the walls themselves.

After about twenty minutes of travelling down the tunnel, Alice stopped a moment to rest. The tunnel was seemingly endless, and she had reached a crucial point when she could make a decision. If she turned around now, she may have enough time to run to her quarters and change her clothes, and rejoin the banquet before the end. If she continued, she would be missed and get in trouble, and may not have anything to show for it. She sighed wearily, and leaned against the slimy wall of the tunnel. The wavering were-light silently extinguished in her hand and she stifled the immediate feeling of panic. She weighed up her options and tried to muster the will to relight the magic. It had been tough going through the tunnel so far; although she was roughly the same height as the tunnel, it was irregularly bricked and there were many opportunities for her to bump her head or trip up over the protruding stones. In addition, the tunnel twisted and turned many times, but always it descended. Occasionally other drainage tunnels fed onto it, but she persevered on the largest, main tunnel, scared that she may lose her way and be trapped, forever wandering down the dank hole.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, and her breathing slowed, she became aware of a faint flickering light, such as a distant, flickering flame might give. Also, there was sound she had not noticed before. It was a type of echoing rumble, that one seems to _feel_ rather than hear, as though the air itself was shivering in a rhythmic rumble.

For the first time, and not the last, Alice felt the cold pangs of real fear strike her heart. For an instant she was frozen there, but it was not her nature to deliberate long over these types of feelings. She disliked feeling ruled by her emotions, and so the fear sent her forward, even before she could make the conscious decision. The act of moving gave her even more purpose and confidence, and she set off towards the source of the fear at a fast pace.

Abruptly the tunnel ended, and her feet, shod in the fine slippers of a young noble, could not find purchase on the slimy bricks. With a small shriek, she fell three feet to the stony ground of a massive cave floor. Here on the ground, she immediately realised that the sound was much louder and closer. The light was coming from a flaming torch in an iron bracket fixed to a wall nearby. Behind the torch was a staircase, roughly hewn from the wall of the cavern, and leading up to a large reinforced door. It was the only light around, and now that she had looked directly at it, the rest of the cavern was a mass of shadows and strange shapes. She ran to the light, and stood in its halo of light nervously. She was very conscious that whatever else was in that cavern could clearly see her, when she could not see _it_. And she was also certain that there was something else there with her.

As her breathing slowed, she realised that she surely must be somewhere near the dungeons of the castle.

With light steps, she ran up the worn stone stairs to the door, but as she expected, it was completely closed, and worse still, there didn't seem to be a handle on this side. She considered shouting through the door, but it looked so solid that she didn't think it would make a difference. She descended the steps slowly, watchful of the shadows. Was that a massive shape moving, or the deceptive flickering of the torch? The only other exit was the tunnel she had arrived from, but it was far too high for her to reach. Her only hope was to find something to stand on to reach the ledge, or an alternative, third exit. Either way, this meant venturing into the darkness, alone. She looked at the torch, but it was too high for her to reach. Silently she cursed her small stature (so different from only a short while ago, when she had felt a foolish sense of pride from her smallness!) and conjured up the were-light again. As if reflecting her uncertainty, it seemed very fragile and weak. She glared at it until it grew stronger, and then stepped out into the shadows.

She had only taken a few steps when she noticed, directly in front of her, there was a gigantic eye. It belonged to a gigantic black, scaly head, which was lain flat on the floor, yet the topmost spike still managed to tower high above her head. That gigantic eye was molten gold and in the were-light, seemed icy cold and menacing. It was focussed on her, and she felt pinned to the spot. It was the ferocious glare of a wild animal, about to attack.

She managed to whisper, in a strangled exhalation, "_Shruikan_...?"


	3. Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter One

****Author note: Congradulations you've arrived at the main storyline. Note this plot diverges from Paolini's after the end of Eldest. Enjoy and comment!

**Chapter 1: The First Meeting**

Blödhgarm gingerly sniffed the weak ale in the tankard in front of him, and stifled a shudder of disgust. This weak brew was really what the humans gulped down every day with such enthusiasm? He could not see the appeal. Then again, it was hard to come to terms with most of the strange and pointless customs of the malodorous horde which surrounded him. He was especially aware of this in the smoky interior of the crowded inn, the location of his newest assignment. He was expected to discover a spy in the employ of the King in this, the Surdan town of Lithgow, a crucial waypoint of the Varden's supply train from Melian to the border. Someone was tampering with the supplies, spoiling food, damaging new weapons, poisoning bread, and it had been traced back to this town. The fact that no one had witnessed anything strange, despite the supplies being guarded day and night meant that it was suspected a particularly powerful magician was involved. Blödhgarm, sent by Queen Islanzadi, was expected to discover the weak point. He did not object to the mission (he had time on his hands while the Shadeslayer was undergoing dragon-rider training) but found it hard to be in such close proximity to these _humans_, away from his own kin. Yet blend in he must. With a grimace he took a large gulp of the liquid, grateful at the completeness of anonymity that his heavy cowl afforded him. After three days of searching, he was quite at a loss at where to look. The next load of supplies were expected to be smuggled through the city under heavy guard at the end of the week, leaving him only a few days more to find the enemy's magician. Uninspired, he had decided to stake out the popular taverns in the area in the hopes of overhearing or sensing a magician. And his elf-ears picked up everything, which ensured that he would, for the first time, hear _her_ voice... above the din in the tavern.

"... _The supplies come at the end of the week, so we must be vigilant._" The voice was hushed, female, and came from a barmaid at the far end of the room. Blödhgarm slowly turned and raised his head to look at her, all his senses tingling.

The girl (and she was young, she can't have seen more than 20 winters, he mused) was taking a small piece of paper from a man wearing a worn coat and shoes that had travelled far, judging by the dust. His cowl obscured his face, much as Blödhgarm's did. The girl glanced surreptitiously at the note, while casually wiping a glass. Within a few moments, the note was tucked away into a pocket of her apron. She gave a terse nod without looking at him, looking somewhat nervous. The man, speaking for the first time, simply stated quietly, "I'll leave it to you then." before striding out of the tavern into the night. The girl looked quite ordinary, if a little on the skinny side. She had pale blue eyes and the far-off look of a dreamer. Her hair was just longer than shoulder length, tied up in a faded purple band, and she wore no form of make-up, unlike many human females, who drowned themselves in powders and rouge. She was also clean, which was strange, since another disgusting custom of peasant humans was to bathe only every moneth or so. Taking all of this into account: she didn't belong here.

Blodhgarm considered going out after the man to question him, but discarded this idea almost immediately. He did not know the situation, who these people were or what their goal was. Clearly, the easier target was the girl, who may be persuaded to talk. He stood up, abandoning the vile ale, and walked over to the bar, lowering his cowl as he did so.

On his way over, he tracked her movements, which seemed very ordinary... except, did that candle on the back shelf of the bar just light itself as her hand briefly brushed past it? Immediately Blödhgarm reinforced his already impenetrable mental shields, allowing no trace of his thoughts to leak out. This was very interesting, was it possible that this girl...? he sat down at the bar in front of her. She looked up at him from wiping the surface of the bar. For a moment her expression faltered, her eyes widening. Then she mustered herself and smiled charmingly, as if nothing were amiss. "Can I get you anything, Sir?" she asked sweetly.


	4. Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter Two

**Chapter 2: Alice and Blödhgarm**

Alice felt a little flustered when the tall man sat down at the bar. For a moment she was quiet, her expression slipping as she wondered why she felt so off-kilter. Then she suddenly realised; he wasn't human, although the disguise was almost flawless. With that knowledge, she rallied herself. "Can I get you anything, Sir?" she asked him.

Now that she had noticed it, the alien-ness of him was impossible to ignore. _Just like the arrogance of elves,_ she thought, _to blithely believe that humans were incapable of seeing though the great "elvish" deceptions_. She barely avoided rolling her eyes, but in spite of herself, she felt a tremor of excitement mingled with trepidation. Although, herself excluded, his disguise probably ensured he was safe from detection by the geniuses which frequented _this_ joint. He was tall and muscular, even for an elf (one could tell _that_ even through his heavy clothing) not black-smith muscular, but muscular like a warrior, with a warrior's proud posture and grace. His hair was thick and chaotic, so dark it seemed to have a blueish tinge to it, in contrast to his light-toned, flawless face. Dark eyebrows framed large, sharp grey eyes above cheekbones that weren't in _quite_ the right place for a human. He was very handsome, maybe even ridiculously handsome. She tried to avoid staring, yet her wayward thoughts could not help wondering what he looked like when not in disguise. When he spoke next, in a deep yet melodious voice, she noticed, despite herself, that his eyes had golden flecks in them, which were definitely _not_ natural.

"I'm not looking for a drink." He stated. His eyes didn't leave her face, and she felt a flush coming over her. Why did he look so good?

"Well," she replied lightly, "You don't enjoy the ale then?" _Too used to elderberry and lime flavoured mountain springwater, eh, Elf_? She thought privately, and her polite smile stretched a little wider.

"I've had better. " he admitted. His voice was casual, yet he obviously knew she was not a normal barmaid. She decided to cut the crap.

"I'm afraid we don't stock _faelnirv_." She said bluntly, expression bland.

Blödhgarm was surprised, but knew better than to show it. He smiled at her, showing his teeth, which was the only aspect of his appearance he hadn't altered for his disguise. They were still shaped like the sharp canines of wolves. It had the desired effect, and the girl's faint air of smugness disappeared instantly. She swallowed hard. "So, what gave me away?" he asked conversationally. Under the rim of the bar his hand lightly rested on a hidden elvish blade.

Alice tried to stop staring at his fanged mouth as he talked. _Damn, his eyes are even more distracting! _She thought in dismay. "Um, well..." she shrugged, "I guess just in general.." she gestured vaguely at him.

"Ah." He said, then leaned in closer. _He even _smells_ impossibly good..._ "So how did a barmaid in Lithgow learn magic?"

Her eyes widened, and she smiled a little sheepishly, "What gave me away?" she echoed his words.

"Candle." He replied smoothly. "Are you going to answer me?" the words were friendly, yet the implied threat was clear, and his eyes seemed to grow a shade darker.

Alice considered her next words carefully. This elf may be an enemy, yet it was much more likely that they were on the same side. If he _was_ an enemy, he would kill her. There was no way she could escape a gifted elvish magician (and his confidence made her believe he must be very powerful indeed), so that only left her with one rational choice; tell the truth.

"I am a spy, working in secret to aid the Varden." She stated quietly. She glanced around, but at this time of night, no one in the room was sober enough to pay any heed to them Even quieter, so that no ears but elvish ones could hear, she whispered softly a binding statement in the ancient language.

Under the table, Blödhgarm finally let go of the hilt of his dagger. "I am not an ally of King Galbatorix" as a sworn oath, was enough proof for him of her allegiance. He lightly brushed over her mind, to see if he could detect any secretive thoughts, but found her thoughts subtlely yet powerfully shielded. Protocol was to examine the minds of spies who were potentially traitors, but Blödhgarm had never enjoyed the invasiveness of it, and trusted his instincts over arbitrary rules. Something about this girl set his heart at ease, and lessened his discomfort at being in a human town. He was alone no longer.

"If you would prefer, we can continue this discussion in a more private place?" she continued.

"Lead the way." He replied. Alice began untying her apron. "By the way," he added, "My name is Blödhgarm."

She smiled shyly at him, and lead the way out of the tavern and into the cold night air, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Alice."


	5. Prequel Part 3

**Author Note: NB NB **This is not the main storyline, if you haven't yet, go back and read the first 2 prequels! The next (main story) chapter is up next, so skip to that one if that's why you are here.

**Prequel Part Three: What Happened to Alice**

Lord Alaric strode with quickening steps towards the servant's wing of the great kitchens. Where was that damn grandchild of his? She was always running off, getting into trouble... and it was always because of that scrawny little guttersnipe, that kitchen-boy...

"Paldir!" he snarled as he entered the kitchen. The frenetic movement of the cooks and servants instantly ground to a halt, while all the staff stared at the imposing man with the wild beard.

"M-My Lord," murmured the head-cook, and bowed hastily. There was a flurry of activity as everyone else in the room did the same.

"Where is he?" thundered the Lord, glaring around the room.

A small figure was trying to edge out of the far door at the other side of the room, but the nearest cook grabbed him by the collar ("Oh no, you don't!" he said with a snigger) and dragged him forcibly over to Lord Alaric.

The boy looked sulkily at the toes peeping out of his ragged shoes.

"Where is she, Paldir? Answer me!" Lord Alaric demanded.

"Dunno..." the boy mumbled mutinously, and shuffled on the spot.

Lord Alaric roughly grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip and yanked him out of the room, away from the cooks, who were now hiding their whispers and smiles behind their hands. As the kitchen-boy, or pot-boy, Paldir was the lowest ranked in the kitchen, and often got up to mischief. More often, he was blamed for things he didn't do; it was a common practice for the lowest servant to get the fall for misdemeanours of the general staff. As the bastard son of a maid who was executed for thievery in the castle, his social standing was even lower than most in his position, and he wasn't allowed to forget it.

If Lord Alaric had been aware of this, perhaps he would have been sympathetic. But all he saw was the sullen, dirty youth responsible for leading his precious granddaughter astray.

"Do not lie to me." He said coldly, "Where?"

Paldir looked nervously up at him, and cringed away from his ferocious expression. "She's f-f-fine, my Lord," he whined, "We were just playing... In the th-throne-room corridor, my Lord..." Lord Alaric saw the truth in the boy's weak mind, and fear struck him. He released Paldir, who, unbalanced, fell hard onto the floor with a yelp. He strode past him and down the corridor, towards the corridor which contained the wall-hanging Paldir had remembered in his mind.

Paldir stared after him, confused and also relieved that he had escaped without a beating. But no doubt the head cook would punish him in Lord Alaric's place, for disrupting the service and fraternising with nobility. Head hung low, he returned reluctantly to the kitchens. But his thoughts were with Alice. _Where was she?_

Alice stared into the eyes of the beast, frozen in terror. Her were-light went out, but at this distance she could still see the dragon in the dim light from the torches behind her. It raised its gigantic head at the sound of its name, and stretched out its neck. With a _thump_, Alice's bottom hit the floor as her legs turned to jelly and stopped supporting her. Those great nostrils flared and snorted hot sulphurous fumes across her face, so that she gagged. Her heart fluttered like a bird in her chest, and she felt faint. Without warning, the enormous dragon reared up, and gave a great, earth-shattering roar. It echoed in the enormous cavern, and Alice also screamed, though her voice was lost in the enormous reverberations. Her ears rang afterwards, and she covered them with her small hands. She lay prostrate on the sandy cavern floor in a tight ball, her eyes squeezed shut. She remained like that even after the last reverberations had died. In this moment, Alice truly thought she was on the brink of death, yet as a small child, she did not yet have a clear vision of what 'death' would entail. So she simply tried to keep still, and pretend everything was okay.

A vast, alien presence entered her mind, like an unstoppable tidal wave. It tore through her thoughts and memories effortlessly, until Alice felt naked and vulnerable, being tossed about from hand to hand of a giant, like dough being pounded. For a few moments she felt her consciousness fragment and drift apart from the strength of the intelligence assaulting her mind, then it partially withdrew, still maintaining a link to her mind. The dragon's mind felt feral, like an animal, yet also somehow sentient. She slowly sat up, and peered through her fingers at it... no, _him_... it seemed she was not going to be eaten... Yet.

A wave of confused images and emotions and meanings suddenly gushed through their connection into her mind.

...?...

"Whoah..." she gasped, at the strangeness of the feeling. Somehow, she felt she understood what he asked. "How I got here? Well I-I was exploring that tunnel, and I fell..." she pointed over her shoulder at the small drainage tunnel.

Shruikan heaved himself up and went to investigate the opening himself. He lowered his head to peer into the hole- which was about as large as his eye. Then he snorted, as if he had satisfied himself on some point or other, and stomped laboriously back to Alice. His footsteps made the cavern-floor shake.

? he asked again, imperiously.

"Me? Oh, I'm no-one..." Alice said in a small voice. He growled. "Th-that is to say, my name is Alice..." she amended quickly, "But I am no one... important."

He craned his neck at her in order to get a good look from different angles with what seemed to be fascination... Alice gave a nervous smile. "You probably have never er... _talked_ to a little girl before..." he ignored that, but continued eyeing her with interest from every side.

Alice was very scared, and suddenly wished she was back in her quarters, safe with her grandfather. No sooner had she had this thought, than the dragon growled possessively, and swept his tail around them, so that Alice was trapped on every side by the scaly hide of the black dragon. She swallowed, but her mouth was dry. She would have to convince the dragon to let her go: escape was impossible. But even if he _did_ let her go, there was no way out of the cavern! Faced with this insurmountable obstacle, she did what any small child would do; she started to cry.

Shruikan immediately became very perturbed by this, and shifted uncomfortably, growling. He sent his confusion through their mental link.

?

Alice was too overcome to speak. But without even noticing the difference, she spoke to him through their mental connection instead. It was feeling more and more natural.

_I'm crying because you're a dragon and I'm stuck here and I fell down the hole and no-one knows where I am and you're going to _eat_ me..._ she thought as she sobbed.

He instantly sent back a large chaotic mix of flashes of images and emotions.

?!...?

Alice's sobbing grew quieter as she tried to make sense of this. _You... aren't going to eat me? No... you- you don't want to, you've already eaten today. You won't let me go because..._ she struggled to interpret this bit.

! he said impatiently.

_Because you're bored?_ She said sceptically. _Well I guess_, she sniffed, and wiped her eyes, _I could stay and chat with you... if you let me go after a while?_

! he agreed eagerly.

Alice blinked the last of her tears away, and even managed a watery smile. She scooted to face him properly, and sat up straighter. _So, what do you want to talk about?_ She asked timidly.

Alice's grandfather, Lord Alaric, swept down the stairs towards the lowest levels of the dungeon. That foolish child! This time she really had overstepped the mark. She could endanger everything by doing this, never mind herself! If the King found out, they would both die horribly, and all his research would go to waste... He'd spent so long studying the King's abilities in secret, looking forward to the day when he could have a hand in his downfall, for it all to end now... Throwing caution to the winds, he flung out his mind wide like a net to find the small spark of fire that was Alice's mind. He went pale and cursed as he also sensed Shruikan's mind so close to hers, and sped up. He was using powerful magic to shield himself from view of all the guards that he past in the passages, but it was still extremely likely that he would be discovered by the king, and that would mean the end of everything. Why couldn't she have been simply stuck in a drain somewhere, as he'd originally supposed?

At last he came to the large oak door of the Dragon's Cave. With a few muttered magical words, the door sprang open and he entered the cavern without breaking stride.

"Alice?" he shouted, fearing he was too late.

"Grandfather?" came a faint reply. She didn't seem distressed... he peered into the gloom. What he saw next almost floored him.

Alice and Shruikan walked out of the dark side by side, keeping pace with each other. This was hard to do, as each slow step of Shruikan's required a fast trot from Alice. "Grandfather!" Alice called again, overjoyed to see him. She then turned back to the dragon, who lowered his massive head to hers. Lord Alaric bit his lip so hard he tasted blood as he saw teeth as long as swords so close to his grandchild's head. Alice stretched out a hand and rested it on his spiny nose. They seemed to be communicating silently with each other. Saying goodbye?!

At last, Alice broke contact and ran up to her grandfather, who was still standing speechless at the door. She hugged his legs with joy to see him after all the strangeness. Shruikan took one last long look at her and Lord Alaric with one baleful, golden eye, then slowly turned and moved off into the darkness, tail dragging behind him.

Wordlessly, Lord Alaric picked Alice up and swept out of the cavern. She would get a stern talking-to about this, and they weren't out of danger yet, but it could wait. He could not deny, the strongest feeling he had right now was... overwhelming pride and awe towards his grandchild.


	6. Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter Three

**Chapter Three: A Partnership**

It took them the better part of half an hour to make their way to Alice's rooms, which were on the far side of town. Lithgow was a large and prosperous merchant town, but like all prosperous towns, it had its fair share of vagrants, thieves and prostitutes. Alice was used to taking care of herself, but it was still a relief to be travelling with another, particularly when they were heading to the seediest (and most anonymous) part of town, which locals had nicknamed "The Warren". It was a dark night, the moon was obscured by clouds, and the roads were relatively quiet. Even so, Blödhgarm could feel eyes on them as they eventually entered a ramshackle three storey building, which Alice (temporarily) called home.

As they entered the room on the top floor, Alice muttered a simple release spell for the wards she had on the door. Blödhgarm entered the cramped room, and looked about him with interest. The room was sparsely furnished, but every available surface was filled with books and papers filled with notes and words in the ancient language in a small, neat script. Alice bustled around, lighting candles and trying to tidy up the space, muttering to herself about the unexpectedness of his visit. She shoved a pile of papers off a chair and pushed it out for her guest. Blödhgarm sat down, shedding his heavy cloak as he did so.

When Alice finally finished fiddling with her papers and turned around, she had a shock.

"Whoah." She said, and stared at him. Sometime during their walk Blödhgarm had undone the enchantments on his face, exposing his true features. Alice could not recall hearing him say a word the whole way. Clearly, this was one elf not to be messed with.

Blödhgarm gave a short laugh at her expression. Instantly Alice could not help also smiling, and once he stopped, she found herself wishing desperately to hear that laugh again. "Have you never seen an elf before?" he asked.

"I have never seen an elf... _quite_ like you." She replied. His entire face (and, she assumed, the rest of him too) was covered in a thick coat of dark blueish fur, which somehow enhanced the features of his face rather than hid them; the direction of the fur emphasized the sharp elvish angles of his face. His teeth seemed more prominent, white in the otherwise dark face, the tips of his top fangs showing slightly when his face was still, then were startlingly apparent when he laughed. The hair was very short where flowed from the middle of his face, then got longer at the edges to blend into a chaotic rippling mane down his back, and also tapered up to cover his delicate leaf-shaped ears. Most riveting of all was his large yellow eyes; the eyes of a bird of prey, Alice could tell. Although the effect was unsettling, she had to admit... it suited him.

_Well let's not ignore the wolf in the room_, she thought wryly. "You like wolves, then." She remarked, somewhat breathlessly, and sat down on the bed, facing him.

"Of course. They are the most noble of animals, in my opinion. Also the forest cat, and the eagle." He glanced around the room again. "What are you studying? Gramarye?"

She nodded. "I'm really no good with practical magic; improvisation and so on. Probably because my vocabulary is so poor! And my grammar is _dangerously_ bad." She laughed nervously. "However, I have studied the healing arts, and I've had more success in inventing some new healing spells."

"And you are a Varden spy? Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but it is unusual to find someone of your... age... engaging in dangerous espionage." _Hmph, he means it's unusual for a young _human_ female_, she thought privately, somewhat peeved. _Well, I suppose he _is_ right._

"It's... complicated." She said hesitantly. "When I went to join the Varden, they originally employed me as a healer. But I heard that they were tracking a group of Galbatorix's pet magicians, one of whom is known to me..." she looked down at her hands, her expression darkening slightly. "I had personal reasons for going after them."

"I too am after the magician, or magicians, responsible for interfering with the Varden's supply train while it passes through here. This seems to have been going on for almost a month."

She looked up again. "Then we _are_ after the same people. I tracked them here a month ago from Melian, and since then I've been trying to get information on their movements. Once I knew enough, I was meant to get the information to the Varden, so that they could send out their spellcasters. Lady Nasuada insisted on knowing exactly where they are before sending out the spellcasters, who are needed on the front lines. I was afraid they wouldn't make it in time. I finally know exactly where they are hiding, although they won't be there for much longer." She took out the note she had received in the tavern, and handed it to Blödhgarm.

He smoothed out the crinkled scrap of paper and read the note, while Alice stared at his long fingers, which she noticed for the first time, had sharp claws on them. The note read: "_Third floor Governor's house. Plans to leave at end of week. Confirmed sighting_."

"Uh, that 'confirmed sighting' thing just means that the spellcasters were seen together at the location." Alice explained quickly. _A little_ too_ quickly, perhaps?_ Blödhgarm thought privately, _Was she hiding something?_ He chose not to say anything... yet. "Well, this is helpful." Blödhgarm said with a smile, "You and your informants... I assume we can trust them?.. . seem to have done all my work for me."

Alice grinned at him. She was happy that he was here, to take care of the spellcasters while they were within reach. Perhaps her mission may at last come to a successful conclusion. "Will you go after them while they are here, then?" she asked eagerly.

"If everything is as you say it is, then this is the best opportunity I will have, before they disappear again."

"I trust my sources." She stated simply. "If the note says they are staying at the Governor's house (of all places!), then that's where they'll be. But we can check it out tomorrow, if you'd like."

Blödhgarm nodded. "I'd like that. What do you know about these magicians, so far?"

Alice's expression closed, and she sounded evasive, "I only know of one of them, their leader... He is the most dangerous, the others are strictly small-time. His name is Paldir." Her voice now took on a bitter quality. "If you can kill him, take the opportunity. He follows Galbatorix not because of some arbitrary oath, but because he truly is a cruel and sadistic bastard. He believes in his cause." She met Blödhgarm's eyes squarely. "Don't underestimate him." He nodded. He wondered what their story was. Clearly there was some bad blood between them.

"Then we will meet tomorrow at dawn, say, outside the tavern again? It's relatively close to the Governor's house, and the warehouses where the supplies are stored. I want to check them out too."

"Okay." Alice agreed readily.

"You know," Blödhgarm said slowly, watching her reaction, "I'm pretty sure I can take care of this alone, when the time comes." Alice looked at him warily. _I need to be there!_ She thought, panicked.

"You could go back to being a healer, and leave this 'Paldir' for me to take care of. Rest assured, I can get the job done."

Alice considered her next words carefully. "I don't doubt that! It's just... after spending so much time investigating this group, I feel that it is my responsibility to see it through to the end. You know how it is." Even to her ears, this sounded like a bit of a lame excuse. Why _should_ the weak human girl tag along to a battle between powerful spellcasters? The silence stretched on for a few seconds, as Blödhgarm, expressionless, searched her face. She couldn't look away, and squirmed miserably under his penetrating gaze.

After what seemed an age, he broke eye-contact, and smiled. The tension evaporated. "That's fine then. We'll come up with a plan tomorrow, together." He stood up and took his coat. Alice opened the door, mutely. She felt somehow desperately miserable, as if she had failed some sort of test.

"I am staying in the forest next to town for the night, or what's left of it." Blödhgarm told her. This startled Alice out of her reverie.

"Oh! Well, you are welcome to stay here if it's more convenient...?" she offered hurriedly.

"No, that's alright." He declined politely, "You hardly have enough space for yourself, and anyway, I prefer the calmness of being surrounded by nature." He looked away, with a dreamy expression. "The trees and grasses murmur their secrets to me in my waking dreams, and the natural light and scents and shadows effortlessly mask my presence..." Alice was getting distracted now, by the musical quality of his voice, and that delicious musk-like smell which almost overwhelmed her...

He turned and grinned at her, as if guessing her thoughts. "Goodbye." He said, and walked away. Alice tried to wipe the stupid, inane expression of adoration off her face.

As he reached the door, she suddenly burst out without thinking, "Hold on one second!" and came up to him quickly. She was red-faced and held out a hesitant hand. He looked at her in surprise, then amusement.

"May I?" she begged with shining eyes. He nodded.

She stretched out her fingers and softly ran her fingers through the luxurious fur at the back of his neck for a few moments. It felt even more heavenly than it looked. "Sorry... and thanks! I... couldn't help myself." she said in an embarrassed voice. _So worth it_, she thought privately.

"That's alright." He assured her, eyes dancing with laughter. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then?"

She nodded, looking distracted, and he started descending the stairs. He had only descended a few steps, however, when she called to him again. "I have some secrets," she started abruptly, in a serious voice, and then stopped. He paused patiently as she struggled to find the right words. "I have some secrets... but I want you to know, that... We want the same things. I... I want you to trust me." She looked oddly vulnerable, a thin, lonely figure framed in warm candlelight, gazing at him as if his reply meant the world to her.

He thought for a moment. He wanted to be sincere. "I already do." He said simply, then disappeared down the stairwell.

Down on street level again, Blödhgarm paused in the shadow of the doorway to put on his heavy coat. For a few milliseconds, his fingers rested almost unconsciously on the spot where her fingertips had stroked his fur. Then he shook his head, as if to clear away some troublesome thought, and left.


	7. Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter Four

Chapter Four: The Warehouse

Alice and Blödhgarm strolled around the empty warehouse on Emerald Avenue, a dead-end road off the city centre. The early morning sunlight filtered through the shabby crooked slats of the walls, making the dust motes dance in the air as they moved around. The warehouse was empty except for a few hay-bales and some old rusted farming equipment. The hay bales and some empty crates were stacked up against one wall, covered in an undisturbed layer of thick dust. However, behind this façade of disuse and disrepair, its real purpose as the Varden's secret storehouse for specialized equipment was apparent. Goods that were hard to manufacture, like specialized armour and magically-enhanced food for the army, was kept here briefly on its way to the Surdan border. This was one of very few stops along the journey, and its purpose was ironically to count and check the supplies, to make sure they were undamaged and all accounted for, before repacking them for the next stage of the journey. It was also the point at which Galbatorix's minions somehow managed to tamper with the items, damaging the efficiency of the army in the long run. Blödhgarm knew that the stakes were higher than simply some damaged armour. He wouldn't have been sent if there wasn't something big afoot; if the enemy was tampering with Varden supplies without being caught, and they were powerful spell-casters, then the possibilities were endless as to what mischief could be caused. The Varden had suffered some unexpected losses recently- ambushes that weren't surprising to the enemy, sudden lethargy by the soldiers causing disproportionate losses, and the like. If Blödhgarm had to guess, he would say it was most likely there were tracking spells on the armour, or energy-draining curses. And if the magicians weren't stopped, who knew? Maybe the next thing would be an outbreak of some magically induced plague. They had to be stopped.

Cleverly concealed on the warehouse floor were three large trap-doors which, though empty now, would be filled with the Varden's supplies in just two more days.

Blödhgarm crouched to the ground above the trapdoors and inhaled deeply, eyes closed. Alice turned away from her inspection of the crates to watch him. Without a doubt, the magicians had been here before. He'd already caught their scent from the Governor's House, which they'd staked out earlier that morning. They had climbed a roof adjacent to the large and imposing Governor's House in secret, and then watched the windows of the upper floors, where Alice's source had told them the magicians were staying. Sure enough, as the first stalls of the town market below opened shop, the curtains of one of the upper rooms were pulled back, and a young man with an arrogant face looked out impassively at the people milling around in the square below the House. Alice had stiffened next to Blödhgarm, and for a moment her expression was dark, as if remembering some terrible pain. "That's him." She'd hissed. Paldir obviously had no idea of the possibility that he may be being watched, and stood there in plain view for quite some time, as he talked to someone else behind him. Blödhgarm had muttered a spell which would let a breeze carry his words to them, but even as he did so, Paldir turned and vanished. However, Blödhgarm had at least managed to get his scent from this encounter.

Blödhgarm looked around the warehouse speculatively. Somehow, between the time the supplies arrived here and left the next morning in covered wagons, they were being tampered with. But the supplies were handled by guards both times in loading and unloading, so surely goods that were tampered with would be noticed by the packers befor ethe wagons were sealed and left?

"Look here," said Alice excitedly. She was still standing over by the wall of crates. "These boxes look like they are shifted right up against teh wall, but they actually aren't." She stepped behind the crates and vanishes. "There is enough space for several people to stand, hidden."

Blödhgarm also peered in. "Less dust, too." He remarked. He smiled knowingly. "Peculiar, isn't it?" He'd obviously figured it out. "Well," he said loudly, "I've seen enough. This is where I will be laying the ambush."

Alice's answering smile faltered slightly, "Not- not at the Governor's House?"

"It's too public." He answered firmly, "Things may get messy if civilians are involved."

Alice nodded, but seemed worried. "Well, we must search their quarters immediately after we've taken care of them."

"That's a good idea... is there something specific you're after?" he asked. His smile was gone. She was being evasive again.

"No... nothing in particular." She said vaguely, as if losing interest in the conversation. "So what is the plan?" she asked, changing the subject.

Blödhgarm was starting to feel slightly annoyed with this girl, who was obviously hiding something from him. But he could detect no trace of malice in her thoughts. When she was being deliberately evasive, a slightly dreamy expression came over her face, which he could not distrust. Her eyes seemed extra bright and innocent, and well... kind of cute. She was as hard to read at times as... as an elf. He sighed. As they walked out of the warehouse, he started to explain his theory, "Okay, here's the plan..."


	8. Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: Ambush**

_2 days later..._

Paldir and his five henchmen arrived at the warehouse shortly before midnight. Confidently, Paldir walked up to the three guards at the closed door of the warehouse, who drew their swords and blocked his way.

"Stop right there, m'lad!" ordered the most senior guard, "What business do you have here then?"

"Aren't you expecting me?" replied Paldir in a voice of polite disbelief, "Of course, we _are_ expected."

The three guards seemed confused for a few moments. Briefly, they seemed on the verge of speaking. Then their faces took on an expression of calm placidity, and they stood back to allow the magicians in.

Once inside, they stopped and fanned out silently, facing the interior. The warehouse was crawling with soldiers busy taking the supplies (which had arrived earlier that day) out of the secret caches under the floorboards, to pack them onto wagons. There were even two spellcasters from the Varden, there to place wards on the wagons before they left. As soon as Paldir and his spellcasters stepped inside, the two Varden spellcasters turned to them, eyes wide, colour draining out of their faces as they instantly realised the danger.

Paldir narrowed his eyes at them, and muttered a short phrase in the ancient language. The two spellcasters clutched at their throats in a panic, but couldn't say anything.

"Hey!" shouted one of the guards, noticing at last. He dropped the crate he was carrying, and it burst open. Helmets and other pieces of armour rolled across the floor. Before the last piece had come to a halt, however, a similar thing had occurred to everyone in the room that had happened to the guards outside. Every soldier in the warehouse had frozen, silent, confused.

"We are here to help with the packing." Announced Paldir cheerfully.

The soldier that had dropped the crate attempted to resist the mental assault. "But..." he said sluggishly, "What happened to Merven and... and..." he peered at the magicians, who were still clawing at their throats, eyes rolling wildly.

"Oh, well I think they are not feeling well." Answered Paldir smoothly. He stepped over to the magicians and tapped them lightly on the shoulders. They dropped like stones to lie motionless on the ground. "It's best that they get some sleep. I always found that it helps." He explained. He raised his voice. "We're all here to help, of course. Carry on!"

With that, activity resumed, and soldiers continued their various conversations as they moved the boxes around as if nothing had happened.

Paldir motioned at the limp forms of the magicians, and his spellcasters rushed forward to drag the bodies.

Behind the wall of crates a few metres away, Blödhgarm placed a hand on Alice's shoulder, restraining her as she started forward. "Relax," he whispered in her ear. She shivered slightly as his breath tickled her neck. "They are just sleeping."

She turned to him. "How can you tell?" she whispered back.

"This is a secret operation, they can't afford to leave a pile of bodies in their wake." He explained. "Also," he added, "I can hear their heartbeats."

Alice flushed in the dark. She hadn't thought of that: he could hear heartbeats from many metres away... so he was probably aware of the way he made her feel when he was this close! How unfair. To her eternal shame, her heart rate was still speeding up, even as she realised this. And his amazing eyes could probably see her blush even in this semi-darkness.

"Focus." He whispered, reprimanding her. "They are coming."

Two of Paldir's magicians were dragging the unconscious men towards Alice and Blödhgarm's hiding place. They made it ridiculously easy, as they were walking backwards, dragging the men. Blödhgarm reached out with both hands, and, in a motion that seemed so quick it was almost impossible to see, he snapped their necks. Alice bit her hand to stop herself from gasping out loud at the suddenness of it. Blödhgarm glanced at her, eyes hooded, and dragged all four bodies, two dead, two asleep, into the cavity. Alice could tell he didn't enjoy this type of killing. She tried to swallow and focus on the task at hand, but the sick _crack_ of their necks snapping kept playing over and over in her head.

After another minute, Paldir glanced up with a frown from his tampering with the contents of a crate. "What is taking those two buffoons so long?" he demanded. He rose slowly to his feet. _Maybe those magicians were tougher than I'd thought, and woken up_?

"Sedge, go see what they are up to." He ordered.

Sedge was a burly man, and no fool. He approached the hidden cavity cautiously, probing it with his mind first.

As soon as Blödhgarm felt the brush of the man's mind over his, he struck, hammering through his defences almost instantly. He took control of the man's mind and body with minimal effort. Often the secret to success was simply surprise. "Be prepared to be my back-up." Blödhgarm told Alice calmly, "In a moment, we are going out."

Paldir watched suspiciously as Sedge stopped, turned, and then walked back. His steps were somehow jerky.

Paldir strode towards him, "What's wrong now, you-"

Without warning Sedge leapt at him, swinging wildly for his face. Surprised, Paldir stumbled backwards, and lost his footing.

At the same time, Blödhgarm and Alice emerged from their hiding spot. Alice concentrated on freeing the minds of the soldiers, who were gaping at this abrupt turn of events. She touched each of their minds until she found their commanding officer, who happened to be the man that had fallen under the spell last, and had dropped the crate. Through a mental link, she quickly explained everything to him.

"What... How...!" he blustered as he realised how easily he had been fooled. He glared at Paldir and started to draw his blade. "Please," Alice said, "Take your men outside. This is a fight between spellcasters!" After a few moments of hesitation, he cursed, then started gather his men.

While Alice was preoccupied, Blödhgarm had not been idle. Taking advantage of Paldir's momentary surprise, he attempted to break into his mind and take control of it, but this proved to be harder than it had been with Sedge. For a moment he succeeded in breaking through, but before he could take full command of his body, Paldir managed to bark out a single word.

"_Naina_!"

It was then Blödhgarm's turn to be distracted, as the wall of crates exploded outwards with an almighty roar and a blinding flash of light. Blödhgarm snarled as jagged splinters of wood buried themselves in his back. His wards had protected him from the worst of the heat and force of the explosion, but he had no wards against splinters, no matter how big they were. His powerful eyes were blinded, but it only took him a moment to murmur the spell that restored his sight. To his chagrin, when he opened his eyes, Paldir's back was disappearing out of the far entrance. To make matters worse, the two remaining magicians (Sedge had perished in the blast) were standing in his way, and had the slightly crazed expressions of spellcasters that were nerving themselves up to die _with_ their enemy.

His eye caught Alice, who had escaped the worst of the blast, and was getting up. She looked over and saw Blödhgarm besieged by the two magicians. Their eyes met, then Alice's flicked away, as if ashamed. Without a backward glance, she abandoned him to chase down Paldir.


	9. Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter Six

**Author's note: **Sorry this has been so long coming! Exams and all that. The following chapters will be uploaded shortly, I promise.

Chapter Six

Alice managed to keep a safe distance in her pursuit of Paldir, as he fled back to the Governor's house. He did not seem aware of her presence, but Alice could not be sure whether he had seen her in the warehouse or not, so she had to advance cautiously. As she ran through the deserted streets, using the shadows of doorways and buildings as cover, she realised that she had mixed feelings about seeing him again. They had a complicated past, that much was certain. There was a time when Paldir had been her only friend and confidante; in a palace full of politics, he had been her rock. But the truth about his character became very apparent on _that night_, when it all happened. Because of his actions, his selfishness, his weakness, her grandfather, the only father-figure she'd ever have, was dead. And no matter how her heart ached for those warm feelings of friendship, she could not be distracted from her vengeance. Years of hunting had resulted in this moment, and she would not be distracted. She tried desperately to stifle the feelings of guilt and shame at how she'd left Blödhgarm... the way he'd _looked_ at her as she left...

Once she'd reached the Governor's house, she slipped past the guards at the back door, and made her way silently to the rooms she knew Paldir was in. She could hear Paldir banging around inside as he rapidly gathered his things to make a quick escape. Her heart in her throat, she steeled herself just outside the half-ajar door. Then she stepped through into the light.

"It's been a long time, Paldir." She said quietly. She had considered killing him from behind, but... she wanted to see his face as she did it.

He whipped around in surprise- he'd obviously not seen her at the warehouse then- but was quick to react with a malicious smile.

"Alice!" he said, "What a... _Pleasant_ surprise." He took a quick step to the side and peered out of the doorway, rather nervously. Reassured she was alone, he regained his former arrogance and turned his attention back to her face. His hands resumed their packing, but he didn't dare look away from her.

Alice stared impassively back. Paldir was only a year or two older than her, but looked every inch the young lord. Alice marvelled at the transformation from the skinny kitchen-boy, always biting his nails and flinching at shadows, to the pale, arrogant mage in gold-bordered robes, with neatly trimmed fingernails and an expression of haughty disdain in his clever eyes.

For a moment, they stared at each other, wondering who would make the first move. Without a change of expression, except for a slight tightening of his jaw, Paldir launched an all-out assault on her mind. Alice, too, had no change of expression, and seemed almost annoyed at his efforts. With almost no effort at all, she struck out mentally with all her will and, for a few precious moments, Paldir could not move, as if glued to the floorboards.

Her eyes darkened. Without warning she crossed the room in three light steps, drawing a small silver dagger out of her belt as she moved.

Paldir, focussed on repelling her unexpected mental assault, was taken completely by surprise. Evidently, he'd expected _Alice_ to be immediately incapacitated by _his_ efforts. However, as he'd demonstrated earlier, Paldir also possessed remarkably good reflexes under pressure, and while he could not avoid the dagger completely, he managed to raise his hand to intercept the dagger moments before it pierced his chest. If it had reached its target, it would have penetrated his heart; he would have been dead almost instantly.

The razor-sharp dagger cut through his hand completely up to the hilt. He howled, the pain breaking through his paralysis, and hit out at Alice with his other hand. He caught her a glancing blow across her face, causing her to stumble back.

Paldir clutched at his mangled hand, swearing hoarsely at Alice. He no longer seemed so smug, instead, an ugly expression of hate contorted his face, which drained of the little colour he'd had.

Alice wiped her bleeding lip and cursed her failure, but didn't wait for him to recover. Through clenched teeth, she hissed a few words, and then blew softly over her outstretched palm at her enemy. A spark, then a flame, and then a raging inferno spontaneously ignited the air around them, crackling and roaring. The windows shattered and flames burst out into the night air. With a shriek, Paldir disappeared completely, enveloped by the flames, a cocoon of raging magical fire.

Alice narrowed her eyes against the brightness of the flames and smoke, and took a step back. The heat was blistering, even at this distance. He was finally dead... Right?

_Meanwhile..._

Three blocks away Blödhgarm was limping as quickly as he could towards the Governor's house, and was feeling royally pissed off.

Apart from the indignation at being used as a distraction by Alice, while she went after an ex-lover, or whoever the hell he was to her, he'd been left to deal with two suicidal maniacs and two half-dead, half-asleep spellcasters they'd left behind the crates. Had she just _forgotten_ about them? Quite surprisingly, they'd been spared the worst of the blast by the crates which fell on top and buried them, so it hadn't taken long for him to stabilise them, and drag them swiftly out of danger (the warehouse was now on fire from the explosion, and the dry wood was burning quickly). All of this was accomplished _after_ he's disposed of the two spellcasters, which, while it was relatively easy to conquer their feeble minds and then kill them, it required a little caution and did take up a bit of time. Time he wanted to spend getting to the bottom of this Paldir-Alice relationship.

The time for discretion was past, and the streets were rapidly filling with concerned people flocking to the blazing warehouse. He pushed past them recklessly, causing some to scream and scramble back as they saw his bloodstained, exotic features. He gave a mirthless smirk. It wasn't his fault that, for time's sake, he'd had to make do with his fangs and clawed hands to deal with the spellcasters.

Blödhgarm was not even sure he was heading in the right direction! He assumed they were heading in the direction of the Governor's house, and there was a scent trail there, but it could have been left from earlier. This meant that he had to move at half the speed, cautious of the trail leading off in another direction, without him noticing. Logically, Paldir would have grabbed the nearest horse and gotten the hell out of town, right? Unless Alice and Paldir were involved in something else, something he didn't know about...? he gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, far over the rooftops of the houses, was another explosion. Several blocks away, a tall building rocked as the glass of a window exploded outwards in flames. He set his jaw and sped up. He could feel his blood-lust growing with every step. They were at the Governor's house... if Alice wasn't already in trouble... she was about to be.


	10. Prequel Part 4

**Prequel Part Four: Broken Trust**

_In the castle at Urubaen..._

Lord Alaric watched from under his bushy eyebrows as Alice practised her meditation, lying on the sofa in his office. He steepled his fingers under his chin as he pondered their situation.

_Hello there_. He said, projecting his thoughts to her.

"Uwaaah!" she yelped, and almost tumbled off the sofa.

He sighed. "You weren't ready." He remarked, sternly.

"But I don't know when you're coming!" she whined.

"That's the point," he said irately. "Your mind needs to be strong even when you aren't ready. Again!"

She settled down on the couch again, a frown line between her eyes as she tried to empty her mind. Her face turned pink with the effort, and he had to work hard to keep a straight face. Maybe he was being too hard on her... she was, after all, only nine years old. But this was the way he'd raised her mother, and she'd turned out okay. His eye lingered briefly on an aged painted portrait on his desk of a beautiful, smiling young woman, who looked a lot like Alice... in the picture, her smile seemed innocent and hopeful, unaware of the doom which awaited her. Lord Alaric looked away. His eyes told of an inexpressible sadness, and a bottomless rage.

He had to protect the only thing he had left of his beautiful daughter... Alice. Of course, this was easier said than done, especially when she was always running off with that no-good kitchen boy. They were always playing pranks on the cook, climbing the roofs, exploring the dungeons, giving themselves illegal horse riding lessons with the nobility's mounts in the stables, spitting on foreign dignitaries' heads as they walked under the arches... and of course, Alice's latest exploit, consorting with the King's dragon! But he felt sure he'd dealt with the problem- he'd blocked up all the drain entrances he could find, placed new wards on Alice to keep track of her, and in the three weeks since the incident, she'd been under house-arrest, virtually without complaint. He could tell she was itching to be out and about again though... even now, she was drumming her feet against the back of the sofa impatiently, a sure sign of an impending outburst.

He reached out to gently touch her mind, but this time she sensed him coming, and managed to erect a weak and fragile mental barrier just in time. He could easily break through, but that was for another lesson. She was concentrating so hard, sweat was breaking out across her furrowed forehead. He withdrew his mind, impressed. "Well done!" he said. "The barrier is weak, but at least this time you managed to sense me coming." He tried to hide his true feelings- he was quite taken aback at her extraordinary aptitude for this, and a little disturbed... what nine year old could do this so quickly? He'd only begun teaching her about mental defence a few days ago. He'd thought it a good idea to start, even though she was so young, since she now had something important to hide; namely, a large, black dragon. Still, it was unnerving, especially since he knew that those extraordinary mental powers didn't exactly come from his side of the family... they must be from...

"Grandpa, can't I go play now? I've been stuck here for _ages_ already..." Alice interrupted his musings.

"It's only been an hour since breakfast." He replied mildly.

"Ugh!" she said dramatically, and wriggled around on the sofa.

"But," he said reluctantly, "I suppose you _have_ earned a break."

Alice looked up excitedly.

His voice was stern. "You can go and play, but remember what we talked about..."

She nodded eagerly, impatient to be off.

"I mean it, Alice. Tell no one, not even that brainless boy, and stay away from _that _side of the castle. I'll know if you disobey me. _Do you understand_?"

"Yes, Grandfather." She said, trying to be serious.

He hesitated, suspicious. "Then you may go." He said reluctantly.

With a squeal of delight, she ran off to seek adventure.

_Fifteen minutes later..._

"Paldir!" she yelled as she burst into the kitchens. The head cook saw her and shook his head disapprovingly, but didn't say anything. After all, she was the daughter of an important noble at court. Paldir grinned widely from the sinks where he was scrubbing pots. "Alice!" he replied.

"May he..?" she asked the head cook, who nodded grudgingly. He was in no position to refuse the request of a noble, even a miniature one. And anyway, the sooner they were out of his hair, the better.

Less than a minute later, they were out of the kitchens and streaking towards their favourite place, a particularly leafy tree in a nearby courtyard. Once in the broad branches and screened completely from passers-by, they felt right once again.

_Meanwhile..._

Three floors and a corridor away, Lord Alaric sighed and turned a page in his book. "Of course that would be the first thing she'd do with her freedom..." he muttered into his beard.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." He said, looking up.

A smartly dressed message runner stepped inside and bowed low. "Lord Alaric." he said.

"Yes, what is it?"

"His Majesty would like you to attend the execution of the spies in the main throne room, my lord. It commences shortly."

"Oh, it's that time already..." sighed Lord Alaric, hiding his distaste. However, as a senior noble in the King's court, it was required that he be a witness to such affairs. It was difficult, however, since he was also secretly a senior agent of the Varden, so watching his own people being put to death was somewhat unsettling. If he'd remembered that the executions were today, he probably wouldn't have let Alice go off on her own; in the throne-room, he had to be extremely careful not to let slip to the King that he was an accomplished mage. He would be unable to keep track of her movements for several hours. He considered going to fetch her...

"Sir?" Prompted the messenger.

There was no time. What harm could a small girl get up to in a few hours? He wryly recalled the last time he'd had that exact thought, and how wrong he'd been. But there was no other option. He'd just have to believe that his stern rebukes over the past three weeks had somehow sunk in, and that for at least _one day_, Alice couldn't possibly get into trouble.

_Meanwhile..._

"... And you've got to think of nothing else, or what you're thinking of has to take up all your thoughts..." babbled Alice happily.

"And then no one can read your mind?" marvelled Paldir. Squinting his eyes and pursing his lips, he tried it.

"You're not doing it right!" she said bossily, and giggled so much she almost fell out of the tree, "Y-you look like you're on the loo!"

Paldir flushed and gave her a shove. "But what happened down the Hole?" he asked, changing the subject. "Lord Alaric came looking for you in the kitchens, and then took off, and I didn't see you for ages!"

Alice instantly went serious. "I... I actually can't tell you." She admitted with wide eyes.

"What?" he said, half-laughing. Then he realised she was being serious. He frowned at her. "But we tell each other everything, remember?" he pointed at the letters "P" and "A" carved into the trunk of the tree. "We made a promise." He grabbed her arm when she tried to look away, "Are you a liar?"

"No!" she protested, a little teary-eyed, "But this is really important so I can't tell you..."

"We made an oath and sealed it in blood." He said gravely. "Remember? You had scraped your knee and I cut open my finger so we could do the oath."

She stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Do you know what happens when you break a blood-oath?" he whispered seriously. She shook her head.

"You get cursed." He replied. She gasped, and he nodded seriously. "So if you really won't tell me, don't come crying to me with your _curse problems_." He leant back again the tree trunk, arms folded.

Alice was silent for a while as she considered this new information.

"Okay." She said at last.

"Yes!" said Paldir and leaned forward eagerly.

"But you really can't tell _anyone_..." she warned, and told him everything.

_10 minutes later..._

"Wow," breathed Paldir, "A real dragon?"

Alice nodded proudly. Although she had been reluctant at first, and felt terribly guilty for disobeying her grandfather, those feelings were quickly eclipsed by her excitement at telling the story. To be honest, she had been dying to tell him about it. And he was suitably impressed, which stoked her ego even further. She relished the awe in his eyes; she'd never been better than him at anything. He was older, wiser and stronger in every way, though she'd never admit it.

"Are you going to go back to visit the dragon?" he asked her when she had finished the tale.

She grinned at him. "Of course! I told him I would. But Grandfather..." her confidence faded. "He won't let me, and he sealed off the Hole."

"Hm." Said Paldir, wracking his brains. "Well, I know of some other drains in the servant's quarters, maybe we could try those?"

Alice bit her lip, but her voice was adamant. "You can't come with me." She said firmly.

"What! But I...!"

"Absolutely not." Interrupted Alice. "I am going back _sometime_, but I'll have to choose my moment carefully, and go alone. I can't be away long, and no one can know about it. Paldir," she grabbed his hand and looked at him with burning eyes, "I trust you to be my friend and help me with this." She said seriously.

Paldir scowled at her, but he could tell she wouldn't budge. He could go without her, but... he might get lost down there, and somehow he didn't relish the thought of meeting a black dragon down a dank hole... alone... even if Alice had made friends with it first.

"Alright." He conceded at last, with a theatrical sigh. "What do you need?"

She beamed at him. "Right, I need a step-ladder to get in and out of the drain in the cave, so I don't get stuck there again." She counted it on her fingers, "I'll need a lantern that won't go out because it's really dark down there, and..." she clapped her hands as she had a great idea, "I need the biggest roast in the castle."

"What?" yelped Paldir, "Now wait a second..."

"It'll have to be a whole pig or something, I guess," she said, almost feverish with excitement.

Paldir shook his head, bemused.

"I can't just go there empty-handed, Paldir!" she cried dramatically.

"How will you even get it down there?" he asked sceptically. Never mind that stealing a whole pig would get him the worst beating of his life. He shivered just thinking about it.

Alice thought for a moment. "I'll take it down on one of those wheeled trolley things, you know, the little ones? I can pile everything on it, put it on a rope from my belt, and pull it like a sled!" she bounced up and down on the branch, delighted with her own brilliance. "The bottom of the drain is flat," she added, "I could do it!" Paldir felt her excitement infecting him as well.

He sighed again. "Okay, so when are you going to go?"

Alice went quiet. It was one thing to fantasize and plan to go, another to actually do it. "I'll have to wait until Grandpa is away," she said, "It could take a long time." She didn't think this was such a bad thing- the last time she'd gone was quite traumatic, and still very fresh in her memory.

"You should go now." Said Paldir abruptly. He had a curious gleam of some secretive excitement in his eyes, but Alice didn't notice.

"What?" she gasped.

"Don't you know?" he said, "Today is that massive execution that the castle has been preparing for, the kitchens are _super_ busy preparing the banquet."

"But..." spluttered Alice.

"Won't your grandfather be there the whole time? And, I can get you something from the kitchens, it's so chaotic in there. You won't get another opportunity like this for at least another month," he said pointedly, "Even the servant's quarters will be basically empty..."

Alice looked dubious. She realised she had gone too far, and recalled her grandfather's expression when he'd seen her in the dungeons... she didn't want that to happen again.

But it was too late. Paldir gave her a calculated, smug look. "So you _are_ a coward then." He said slowly.

Alice decided to disobey her grandfather.


	11. Prequel Part 5

**Prequel Part Five: Broken Friendship**

It was as Paldir said.

The servants' quarters were largely empty, and it was easy to procure the items Alice had listed. The roast, however, was a bit of an issue and Paldir was only able to steal the larger half of a roast pig, not the entire thing, while Alice distracted the cooks with ridiculous questions. They decided they'd have to make do with it, and soon Alice and Paldir were assembled outside a small drain opening in the lower servants' quarters.

"Paldir," said Alice seriously, "_Promise me_ you won't follow me."

He smiled at her. "We're friends, aren't we? Friends forever. I promised I wouldn't... Friends don't lie." They solemnly shook hands on it. Alice spontaneously gave him a hug around his middle, then turned quickly back to the drain. Paldir blushed slightly, but didn't say anything.

The drain was still in use, carrying away water emptied from baths and washing tubs, though only as an extra outlet on the busier washing days. Although it was relatively dry, it smelled appalling, and it would be quite a tight squeeze for Alice towing her contraption behind her. Her head was spinning with heady anticipation and excitement at seeing Her Dragon (as she had started thinking of him), so she didn't hesitate to crawl into the drain, despite its unattractive appearance. She was so absorbed in her excitement, that she didn't even think it strange that Paldir hadn't argued with her about coming again, but merely smiled cheerfully and waved goodbye.

Paldir watched her back disappear down the hole, and peered into the darkness until he saw a faint, blue light emanating from her diminishing outline, as she ignited her were-light. He glanced about the deserted corridor, then entered the drain himself. It was harder for him, since he was bigger and taller, but he pressed on, maintaining a discreet distance from his friend. He didn't feel even a twinge of guilt for breaking his promise to her; a dragon was more important than a make-believe oath with a silly little girl!

Alice arrived at the main tunnel quite soon, and recognised it immediately as the tunnel she had travelled down the previous trip. Without hesitation she turned right at the crossroads, to follow the main tunnel further down. Behind her, the roast, covered in a thick cloth, and the lantern bounced and rattled on the little wheeled trolley, which would double as a step-ladder once she arrived.

Paldir had fallen a bit behind by this point, and could no longer see the faint blue light ahead because of the curves in the tunnel. Panic threatened to make him give up and turn back, as he was swamped in complete blackness, buried alive under the castle. This wave of fear suddenly broke through the barriers on his latent magical powers, and when, in desperation, he murmured, "_Naina_!", the magical word for "light", more like a fervent wish than an intention to use magic, his palm blazed with a light so bright it blinded him for several minutes. The light was strong, and unwavering in his hand, unlike Alice's were-light, and he felt invincible with the magical power that flowed through him for the first time. Alice had taught him the theory and words of power, but he'd never been able to use it before, much to his disappointment. Somehow, his panic had unlocked a previously dormant, powerful side to him. The magic he used was unrestrained, and bleeded away from him in the form of light into the surrounding bricks at a fast rate.

Unknown to Paldir, the wild flare of uncontrolled magic triggered several wards in the castle. In the throne room, the king shifted in his seat, and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he seemed distracted by some entertaining thought. He waved an attendant closer, and spoke quietly into his ear. Then the King abruptly stood up and strode out of the throne room, ignoring all the surprised nobles scrambling to their feet and bowing, scared of causing offense by siting while the king had risen.

"The King is retiring for today," the attendant announced, as the King disappeared out a side door, "Proceedings will continue tomorrow."

Alice's grandfather went as pale as death, and his heart plummeted, as he had a terrible feeling Alice was somehow involved.

Meanwhile, in the bowels of the castle, Paldir recklessly pushed on, and almost (unwittingly) got lost at the crossroads. He paused for barely a second, then, simply by chance, he choose the correct path and carried on down. His mind was filled with grand ideas of becoming a mage and leaving his old life as a down-trodden kitchen-boy behind. He wanted to tell Alice, after he'd seen this dragon for himself, obviously.

_Meanwhile..._

Alice had made it to the cavern, which looked the same as the last time she'd been there. It was very quiet, and, just like last time, Alice could see nothing in the darkness beyond the light of the flickering torches on their wall-sconces. She carefully lowered the trolley and then jumped down next to it, wondering innocently whether Shruikan was sleeping.

She took the roast off the trolley and pushed the trolley up against the wall under the opening off the drain, so she could get out again later, and lit the lantern, but put it down next to the roast for the time being.

Then, she peered into the silent darkness again, but could see nothing. She thought for a moment.

"No need to be shy!" she called out into the gloom.

In the darkness, a large golden eye was fixed on her with interest, and the dragon felt something he didn't really understand. He was glad to see her. But Shruikan still had the thoughts of a wild and dangerous animal, and was, currently, very hungry. He wondered how the girl would taste... however, he was strangely reluctant to pounce. He was used to acting on instinct, and this new ability to think beyond physical wants confused him. So he remained silent, wavering on the edge of killing her... or greeting her.

Alice was wholly unaware of the very real, and very grave, danger she was in, and couldn't understand why Shruikan was so quiet. She could feel his eyes on her, so why didn't he come into the light?

She suddenly had an idea, and, with a flourish, she whipped the cloth off of the roast in front of her.

With a lumbering roar, the dragon's reverie was shattered by the delicious smell of pork-fat that wafted his way. He emerged out of the gloom, and snapped up the roast in seconds. He was so big, he didn't even need to chew, and if anything, felt even hungrier than before. But first, he wanted to understand why this girl had come, and where she had found the meat, and could she find more for him?

Alice giggled and laughed as Shruikan gently yet eagerly sniffed her from head to toe, whilst pouring his questions into her head. She struggled to answer him between delighted giggles (having mistaken his over-zealous sniffing for gladness to see her again). She tried to explain the situation, how dangerous it was for her to visit him, because the King might find out (at this, Shruikan gave a feral growl and his tail whipped about, smashing into the ground and walls of the cavern, like an enormous, enraged cat). He seemed to listen to reason after he'd calmed down, and she explained that if it _was_ possible, she would try and come again. He seemed appeased, and settled down to send via mental link an intense and confusing barrage of images and feelings for Alice to interpret, which she took as a detailed account of everything that he'd done since her last visit, including, but not limited to, digging a new tunnel in the back of the cavern where he thought he could "smell water", and attempting to touch the largest spike on his lower jaw with the smallest claw on his left back leg, which, he assured Alice gravely, was a feat of considerable dexterity for such a large dragon. She tried to keep up with the speed of his thoughts, and occasionally sent back a "Oh really?" and a polite "Surely not!" which seemed to gratify the dragon enormously. Midstream during this "conversation", Shruikan suddenly fell silent and cocked his head. His nostrils flared and he glared at the drain behind Alice.

"What is it-" she started asking, then stared as a bright blue light appeared at the entrance of the tunnel. With a short, sharp cry, Paldir tumbled out and sprawled on the ground in front of the girl and the dragon. Dazed, he looked up at Alice, who had an expression of hurt and anger at his betrayal.

Shruikan saw only a small human, wearing no cumbersome armour or holding any pointy weapons, who was _not Alice_. His appetite suddenly returned with a vengeance.

Alice, still connected to Shruikan via mental link, saw the intention in Shruikan's mind and acted immediately. She threw herself in front of Paldir, arms outstretched, and shouted as loudly as she could, mentally and out-loud, "NO! Shruikan, don't! Please..." he paused, just for a short time, as he battled confusedly between his hunger and his newfound reasoning abilities. Alice finally realised the precarious situation Paldir and herself were in- she finally understood the savagery and unpredictability of Shruikan's nature, and realised what a fool she had been for simply walking back into a dragon's den. Her knees started shaking as she realised how close to death she'd unwittingly come.

"Paldir!" she screamed at him, "We have to go, we have to..." she tugged desperately at his arm, towards the drain. Paldir misunderstood the situation completely (having been previously informed by Alice herself of what a nice dragon Shruikan was) and shook her off as he got to his feet. He stared in awe at the dragon, he'd never seen anything so big and majestic before... the magic was still thrumming through his veins, making him feel invincible, a feeling he'd never had before. But unknown to Paldir, extraordinary as his reserves on magic were, he was close to running out completely. One last burst of magic, and he'd come up empty.

Alice's temper got the best of her, and she struck out, hitting Paldir hard on the shoulder, while yelling, "Why aren't you listening to m-"

With a violent backhand, he instinctively struck back, catching her neatly across her face. But what Paldir didn't intend was the force at which Alice was thrown back; he had struck out at her with the hand still wielding the blazing were-light, and in his outburst of temper, his uncontrolled magic flared a second time, just as the blow landed.

Alice was thrown backwards like a rag-doll, before smashing into the wall of the cavern next to the drain opening. She crumpled down to the stony floor, barely conscious, as blood gushed down her face from the open wound on her head.

Paldir spun around in shock and horror at this unintended consequence of his actions, utterly confused as to how he'd done this (the magic having petered out at last) but didn't have time to do anything before...

Shruikan let out an ear-splitting, earth-shattering roar, and expelled a massive jet of flame, which bathed the cavern ceiling in smoke and fire and licked around the stalactites. The scent of Alice's blood had had a profound effect on the dragon; he simultaneously desired blood, and felt a consuming anger at Paldir for attacking His Human (as he now thought of Alice). So his next desire was "_eat the human boy_", and things would have gone very badly for Paldir, had not the dungeon door opened at that exact moment.

The Mad King stepped into the cavern.


	12. Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter Seven

Chapter 7: If Looks Could Kill

Alice stared as the flames of the raging inferno she'd just conjured blew out as easily as a candle. The room was a devastated, smouldering wreck, and looked about ready to collapse around them. This would be a problem, since they weren't on the ground floor.

Alice could hear the screams and muffled yells from the confused inhabitants of the house below them, as if from far away. All of her concentration was focussed on the man in front of her. Paldir seemed completely unharmed, and extremely angry. Even his gold-trimmed robe wasn't singed (which would have been an improvement). He spat out a few magical words, and she felt an overwhelming pressure, like a vice, closing on her chest and body, rendering her immobile and unable to speak a word. She struggled to rally herself, but could tell she was completely vulnerable like this. It was odd- her wards were supposed to have prevented spells like this from immobilising her. Clearly, he had some new tricks up his sleeve. The fact that her wards hadn't worked meant that he must have worded the spell in a way she hadn't anticipated, but how did he know-

"So," he said, through gritted teeth. He began pacing slowly in front of her, to and fro across the charred floorboards. Alice glanced down quickly, only her eyes moving, and saw the knife glinting from the opposite end of the room, where Paldir had dropped it. It wasn't too far away...

"You really tried to kill me," he said wonderingly, shaking his head in disbelief, or perhaps arrogance. "I would very much like to rip your throat out for all the inconvenience you've caused me." he said, matter-of-factly. His arm shot out and closed around her throat, his grip tightening. She choked, glaring hatred into his mad eyes, now only inches from her face. "But," he said regretfully, "I won't kill you... Not today."

The magic immobilising her vanished, and she found her voice again. "You don't have the guts to kill me." She said hoarsely, contemptuously. For a moment, Paldir's eyes flickered, and he seemed almost ashamed. But when he spoke again, his voice was as confident and conceited as before. "As much as I'd like to kill you, right here and now..." he repeated, "I won't." He looked at her meaningfully, "_He_ instructed me- _in person-_ to let you live."

She blinked. She knew exactly who he was talking about. "You lie." She said coldly, but her voice sounded unsure. "He has no reason to want-"

"I'm as curious as you are." He said, eyes narrowed. His fingers tightened again on her throat. Her fingers scrabbled against his arm, but he paid no attention. All the while Paldir had been talking, Alice had been extending her consciousness to probe his for weaknesses. She was particularly adept at the subtler arts of mental manipulation, and he didn't seem to have noticed yet. She readied herself to strike the moment he was distracted.

He smiled mirthlessly at her. "So, I'm going to take you back to him, and I guess we'll find out what he wants. Maybe he simply wants to kill you himself, as punishment for stealing his books."

"Those books... belonged to my grandfather!" Alice snarled between gasps.

"Whatever." Paldir said dismissively. "Oh, and did you know? I have one with me right now." His right hand, still bleeding from Alice's first assault, reached stiffly into an inner pocket of his robe, and he slowly withdrew a tattered-looking leather-bound book. He waved it enticingly in front of her face. Her eyes followed it hungrily. On the dark leather cover was the imprinted shape of a stylised black dragon. This was the book she'd been searching for, for so long! Paldir was an idiot for baiting her like this. Even when they were kids, he'd always underestimated her. It would be to his detriment, this time.

_Meanwhile..._

Blödhgarm had reached the building where the explosion had happened. The room where he knew they were was no longer burning, and seemed quiet. He felt the flutterings of something akin to panic as he glanced up at the shattered, dark window, devoid of life. Crossly, he told himself that it was just adrenaline kicking in late. He cautiously extended his mind up to the room, and felt a sweeping sense of relief as he felt the presence of both of their minds, alive and conscious, for now. It was time for some answers. He ran to base of the building, and didn't slow down his pace, using his momentum and the occasional window ledge to swing himself silently up the side of the house. He slipped through a window of the room next door to the burnt room, and padded softly to their door. The building was deserted: everyone had fled from the explosion. Blödhgarm knew that it wouldn't be long until reinforcements came to investigate the ruckus. He laid a hand on the door handle, which was still warm to the touch from the flash fire inside, then hesitated. He put his eye to the keyhole, but Alice and Paldir were out of sight. They were, however, _talking..._ about some book, of all things. With his superior hearing, Blödhgarm closed his eyes and could picture the scene from the proximity of their voices. Both of their heart-rates were elevated, but for now they were only talking. He listened, motionless.

Inside the room, Alice forced her eyes away from the book, and back to Paldir's smug face. It was time to distract him and make her move.

"It's true I came for the book," she said, "But I wasn't sure you had it. I did truly intend to kill you, though." She gave him a smile of pure malice.

He frowned at her. "Yes, about that... I understand you trying to kill me with the knife, but the fire?" he arched an eyebrow at her, "The last time I saw you, three years ago, was it? You swore, rather rashly I might add, that you would _never use magic to kill_. You swore it in the ancient language!"

Her eyes glittered, "Oh, I didn't _really_ intend to kill you with that spell." He made a disbelieving noise, "I only wanted to burn you beyond all recognition. If you'd died from your injuries it would have been a happy coincidence." Internally, Alice cursed the lost opportunity. It was true, she had been relying on his assumption that she couldn't use any fatal spells to get an opportunity to kill him. It would be much harder now, he had his guard up...

"And we used to be so close," remarked Paldir, "We've come a long way since that time, haven't we?" He seemed almost wistful. His grip loosened on her throat again, and Alice tensed, readying herself. "You know," he said suddenly, earnestly, "I stand by what I said the last time we met." His eyes were wide, almost desperate, "You could come back with me... Voluntarily. We... we could have it again. We could start over, together."

Alice deliberately made her face go slack, doe-eyed, as if her will was breaking. "I..." she murmured, and let her eyes slowly fall, as if she couldn't look into his face. For a second, Alice could tell she'd fooled him. His grip slackened even further, and his thoughts were in disarray.

(Behind the door, Blödhgarm could hear her heartbeat suddenly galloping as a rush of adrenaline surged. She was about to do something- he gripped the door handle again.)

She struck out mentally, raking through Paldir's mind quickly, without attempting to gain control. She'd established earlier he was strong enough to fend her off, but the pain of her attack momentarily blinded him. As a gut reaction, his hand closed tightly over her throat, cutting off her air supply, crushing her throat completely. But she had been expecting it, and as he moved closer to subdue her, her leg lashed out and caught him in a particularly sensitive area. With a gasp, he finally released her and fell to one knee on the ground. _Why didn't I do this in the beginning, if that's all it took?_ She asked herself, dazed, seeing spots from the lack of oxygen. Her eyes flew to the knife, which was just three steps away... But then she hesitated. She lunged instead for the book, managed to grab it from him, and then went for the knife.

Paldir was in pain, and not only from Alice's kick. She'd let him believe, for a second, that she was as conflicted about him as he was about her... but clearly their past meant nothing to her. The rejection still hurt, even after all this time. His pain and betrayal, and the humiliation of playing the fool again fused into an uncontrollable rage. Stuff his master, and his orders! She would die, here and now. He filled his lungs with the air that would deliver a death-spell. Everything would have been over for Alice in that precise moment, had it not been for the elf standing in the doorway.

Almost lazily, Blödhgarm drew his own knife from his belt, and with an idle flick of his wrist, it flashed across the room. It hit Paldir in the shoulder with such speed and strength that it pinned him effortlessly to the wall. Paldir screamed and pulled at the knife, but couldn't budge it. Blödhgarm turned to Alice, standing nearby with a book and a knife in her hands. She felt ice running down her spine at the deadly glare he gave her. Her mouth went dry and she lost her voice completely. "I'll deal with you in a moment," he hissed, and turned back to Paldir, who was still struggling to shift the knife. Blödhgarm probed his mind for information, scattering his defences. In a panic, Paldir gabbled out a line in the ancient language. Blödhgarm realised in time what he was trying to do, and swiftly canted the spell to silence him. To his surprise, Paldir continued the spell without saying the words out loud, showing a depth of focus Blödhgarm hadn't thought he was capable of.

Only seconds later, the unthinkable happened. With a deafening clap like thunder and a flash of copper fire, Paldir disappeared entirely- along with the wall he was pinned against. The room rocked as parts of the walls and floor were completely ripped away, seemingly into thin air.

It took a few seconds for Alice to process what had just happened.

Shakily, she got to her feet in the aftermath, feeling like she'd aged several years. He was gone- unexpectedly, it was over. She should feel frustrated at having lost him again, but felt strangely relieved instead. She murmured a line of the ancient language, and her hearing returned with a pop. Blödhgarm was also still facing the space previously occupied by his prey. Predictably, he'd somehow managed to stay on his feet.

"Well," remarked Alice cautiously, trying to disguise the lightness in her voice, "_That_ was unexpected."

Blödhgarm turned to look at her.

She flinched. If looks could kill...


	13. Prequel Part 6

**Prequel Part Six: Consequences**

It was pure coincidence that Shruikan's enormous body was blocking the two terrified children from view as King Galbatorix stepped through the doorway. As it was, the king had sensed the presence of two children's minds even before he entered the room. He was aware that one of them had powerful magic, and, fortunately for Alice, it was onto this child that his mental energies were focussed first.

Shruikan's gigantic teeth, exposed and dripping, were only metres away from closing on Paldir, standing numbly next to Alice, when he stopped dead in his tracks. There was a beat of silence.

The dragon had suddenly become aware of his master's presence, and this had a profound effect on him. He swung his gigantic head around, and let out a blood-curdling roar. The cavern echoed and reverberated with the enormous sound, and even far upstairs in the castle, the fine crystal glasses rang like glass bells, and the servants wondered at it.

With a jerk, Alice came out of her stupor and scrambled to her feet, looking confusedly about. Blood was running down her face, but the cut seemed shallow. She had bigger problems to worry about. What was Shruikan so upset about? Through their mental connection, she sent a wordless, tearful query to the dragon, and discovered a strange thing.

With Alice injured behind him, facing the King, whom he hated and feared, Shruikan was having an epiphany. For the first time in his long life, he was not thinking about himself at all. His mind was clear, and less like a beast's every second that passed. All of his instincts were screaming to protect His Human, and he perceived the danger of the King discovering her. In this moment, Alice and Shruikan's mental connection deepened and sharpened in clarity. Alice suddenly found herself looking through Shruikan's eyes into the Mad King's.

Galbatorix leaned against the door nonchalantly and waited for the last of the reverberations to die down. He was used to Shruikan's tantrums by now. The King's first mistake was made years and years ago, when he'd first stolen Shruikan and bent the dragon's mind to serve him. All those years ago, Galbatorix had been driven by a sense of purpose to obtain a dragon, to use as a weapon. He was not looking to replace the partner of his soul, his original dragon. For this reason, Galbatorix had never had a strong mental or emotional connection with the black dragon, and refused to think of him as a being capable of intelligent thought. The only contact they had was in the issuing of orders, or punishment. Over the years, deprived of interaction and true contact with others, Shruikan had become that which the King wanted; a mindless beast. That was, until he'd met Alice.

Alice, having seen the danger through the dragon's eyes, withdrew partially from his mind and got to her feet quickly, grabbing Paldir's arm.

_Shruikan, don't let him see us!_ she begged him, dragging Paldir to the drain. This time, the boy came willingly.

The dragon rumbled assent, and squared up to the King, spreading his wings as far as the cavern would allow. He snapped his jaws threateningly in the air, glaring venomously at the King.

"Oh, stop it," said the King, annoyed, trying to peer around the dragon. He just assumed Shruikan was guarding his meal, like a badly trained dog. That's right, when had he last fed the stupid beast? Some weeks ago, at least. _Oops_, he thought carelessly.

Alice looked back at the dragon facing down the King for her. Tears streamed down her face. Why did she feel as though something terrible was going to happen?

_Shruikan_! she sobbed.

_... Go... _the dragon urged. His voice was deep and cracked, full of ageless pain. Inexplicably, his mind had taken on an element of reasoned simplicity; the directness of a child that sees everything for the first time and accepts it. She blinked. _You spoke!_

The dragon looked momentarily back at her, over his outstretched wings. ... _Alice... _he said simply, and then conveyed a complex idea to her that Alice did not fully understand at the time, but would never forget.

Alice turned and ran up the tunnel after Paldir, too overcome to respond.

Years later, she would realize what the complex idea was. In that moment, Shruikan had entrusted her with his true name.

In the cavern, the King lost patience, and spoke a single word of power. With a roar, Shruikan's enormous bulk was effortlessly lifted and thrown aside, crashing down against the wall on the opposite side of the cavern. Tremors like an earthquake rocked the cavern, and stalagmites were were dislodged from the roof, spearing the ground. The King stalked down to the drain entrance, realising he'd lost his quarry. He was not upset, it wouldn't be hard to find the boy again. _But what is this?_ His eye moved across the discarded trolley, lantern and cloth, and a small splash of blood still running down the stones. _Not just an unintended adventure, then?_ He mused, interest piqued. He turned to look pensively at Shruikan, who was backing away slowly into the dark. "Not so fast." He commanded, and stretched out his mind.

_1 Hour later_

_Lord Alaric's quarters_

Lord Alaric paced agitatedly back and forth.

"So you are certain you weren't seen?" he demanded again.

"Yes." replied Alice miserably, for what seemed like the fiftieth time. Her shoulders were slumped, her arms hanging by her side. Paldir, standing next to her in a similar posture, stared at his shoes mutely.

"But we still can't risk it." Lord Alaric muttered distractedly to himself.

Alice looked up, scared of the fear she heard in his voice. "What do you m-"

The door burst open, and they all jumped and stared, then relaxed.

"My Lord," said Jethram apologetically, and closed the door behind him. Alice blinked at him. He was her grandfather's most trusted servant, and as close as an uncle to her. He had a sizable box, delicately carved with a complex pattern of leaves and trees under one arm.

"Jethram! Oh, good, you've brought it." Lord Alaric sighed. He took the box over to his desk, and opened the sliding lid carefully. Alice, despite herself, tiptoed closer, curious and a little scared about all the activity.

As if only remembering Paldir's presence again at this moment, Lord Alaric looked up with a hostile expression. "You!" he snarled, "You can get lost, now."

Paldir flinched and looked up, ashen-faced. He scrambled to the door, eager to escape.

"And if you ever say a word about anything you saw down there..." Lord Alaric added, letting his voice trail off with an unspoken threat. To emphasise his point, he strode menacingly towards the boy, combing his mind for treachery.

"It wasn't Paldir's fault!" said Alice bravely, stepping between them. She knew what he was doing. "It was me- My idea... He was only following me!"

Lord Alaric shook her off, but turned away from Paldir, too. He glared at Alice. "I know this wasn't your idea, I can see it in your mind, child," he growled, "But you _are_ still to blame! You taught him the spells I have been teaching you..." he touched the healed cut on her head again, and the angry look returned. "You deliberately disobeyed me."

Tears pricked Alice's eyes. He was looking at her with such disappointment! Alice wished the ground would swallow her whole... he might never trust her again, how could she have been so stupid! Now she wished he would blame it all on Paldir... she stepped away, shamefaced.

Before Paldir could exit the door, Lord Alaric had one final parting shot. "I always knew you were a no-good, selfish brat! All of us would have been better off without you. It won't be just a beating if I ever see you again!"

"... Alice?" Paldir said shakily, eyes filling with tears as he stumbled to the door. "I'm sorr-"

"It's okay." She replied quickly, but she was avoiding his eyes, and her tone was not friendly anymore. More than anything, that hurt Paldir deeply. "Just go. And don't tell anyone. Promise!" she said firmly, still looking away.

Lord Alaric rested a large hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and could see that she hadn't lost his love. Paldir's hurt suddenly turned into a blistering wave of jealousy and anger.

"I promise." He said tonelessly, but they had already forgotten his presence. The words had no meaning to him either, and tasted like dust on his tongue.

With hollow eyes, he walked out. Once the door was closed behind him, he allowed his tense muscles to finally relax... Tears of pain squeezed out his eyes as he suddenly felt the after-effects of the beating Lord Alaric had given him when he had found out what he'd done to Alice. How did this all happen? Was it really his fault? But he would never hurt Alice on purpose! All he'd wanted was to see the dragon. He felt confused, in pain and completely alone. He stumbled back to the kitchens, avoiding the staff. All he wanted was to collapse on his little bunk in the storeroom and never get up again.

Paldir was so dazed and preoccupied with his own thoughts, that he didn't notice the unnatural silence in the kitchens that day, or the lack of staff bustling about. His eyes were downcast as he shuffled, snivelling, to the storeroom. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The interior was dim and quiet, as usual, but something was different. He stopped abruptly, and wiped his eyes. He gasped.

"My dear boy," said the King in a voice like honey. He stretched out a cool hand to gently touch Paldir's left eye, where purple bruises were fast appearing. "Who could have done such an awful thing?"


	14. Prequel Part 7

**Prequel Part Seven: Betrayal**

"Alice," ordered Lord Alaric, in a voice more serious than she'd ever heard, "Come here and pay close attention."

She walked quickly around his desk, looking curiously at the box her Grandfather was rapidly unpacking. "What is it, Grandfather?" she asked.

"These are the journals that I, and my father before me, have been putting together in preparation for..." he glanced up at Jethram, the sombre man standing close at attention, as if seeking some form of confirmation. Jethram gave an almost imperceptible nod, and they traded a meaningful look for a few moments. Alice hadn't missed this exchange, and was feeling more and more scared.

Lord Alaric took a deep breath. "Alice, I and my father before me have worked here in the castle as secret agents of the Varden." Alice stared... she'd always known that they were no friends to the King, but to be a part of that shadowy opposition movement?! It was so exciting. Instantly her mind filled with thoughts of daredevil missions and espionage by her courageous grandfather, bamboozling the king's best laid plans at every turn. Her grandfather shook his head, amused at the direction her thoughts were taking despite the tenseness of their situation. "Our roles were simply to observe, to gain the trust of the King as his confidante, and gather information on his abilities, movements, personality, history... one day, armed with enough knowledge, the hope was to strike where he least expects it. The destruction of the King, and the restoration of the Empire to the people; that and no less will be the completion of this great Quest. In this goal our family and the Varden are joined, but we keep ourselves separate. Anyone who has eyes can see the hopelessness of attempting to win the day on strength of arms. My father passed his knowledge and skills onto me through these journals, and I pass them onto you." His eyes grew sad.

"No matter what happens to me, you must honour your family's work, and if you can- complete the Quest." Alice felt very solemn and responsible, with all this talk of quests, Kings and empires... How could she have a part to play?

"I wanted to wait until you had come of age before laying this burden on you, but events have conspired against all of my best-laid plans, and we do not have the luxury of prudence anymore."

Alice could feel tears welling up again, though she didn't quite understand what he was trying to say. "Is it my f-f-fault, Grandfather-?" she asked, lip quivering.

He pulled her into one of his rare bear hugs, "No, no, dearest. It is never the fault of a child to act like one! No, the blame for all of this rests with me, and me alone." His voice rumbled deep in his chest, and Alice felt better almost instantly. He stroked her hair gently with one calloused hand, and continued, "I have put you in danger by having you with me here all these years... although you didn't know it." Alice looked up at him in confusion. He gave a sad smile at her. "One day you will understand what I did, and on that day... I hope you will forgive me." He shook his head as she opened her mouth to ask what he meant. "That is a conversation for another day, my dear. But now listen, what I'm telling you is very important."

He picked up the first book, a leather-bound volume with a plain brown cover. The pages were thin and yellow with age, and the book was quite fat. "This is the First Book, the Book of Gramarye." Alice blinked at him. "In it," he continued, "Are the basic fundamental rules of magic, and a list and explanation of the most practical spells." He picked up another book, a volume that Alice had seen before many times on his desk. It was filled with her grandfather's spidery writings, and it seemed to be the heaviest of all the journals. "This is the Second Book, the Book of Healing. It has everything a healer needs to learn, from healing the smallest cuts and scrapes, to lethal poisons and even some of my own advancements in the field. My experimental spells are in the back, and have not been properly tested, so exercise caution."

Alice couldn't understand why he was telling her all of this.

He read the expression on her face. "I want you to keep these two volumes with you at all times from now on, Alice, until we have reached safety."

"You don't mean-"

"Yes." He said heavily. "We are leaving the castle, tonight." He turned to Jethram. "We'll have to disperse the remaining books, as discussed, in the estates in Surda." He said. "We have friends and family that we can trust there." He explained to Alice. Jethram nodded, "All separate locations, My Lord?"

Lord Alaric rubbed his face distractedly, "Yes, we can't risk the King having them all together. He may suspect-" he cut off his voice abruptly, and his face turned pale. "The boy has told Him." He suddenly said, as if he couldn't believe it, and then he leapt up, galvanised into action. "Jethram, go now." He commanded, "And if the worst should happen, destroy the box before it can fall into the wrong hands." Jethram gave a low bow, gathered up the box and its precious cargo, and swept out of the room.

Her grandfather bolted the door after him, muttering strings of magical enchantments as he did so. Then he strode over to his chambers.

"Alice, this way!" Alice gathered up the two precious books in her arms carefully, and ran after him, wide-eyed.

Lord Alaric pulled out another flat box from under his bed, and from it gathered a leather satchel, already filled with essentials, and his sword, which he buckled onto his belt. He went over to his cupboard and took out two weather-stained travelling cloaks. He threw the smaller one, as well as a small-size tunic and breeches at Alice. She stared at the breeches, head spinning. He _never_ let her wear breeches...

"Put them on, and let's go."

Lord Alaric pulled up the heavy weaved rug at the foot of his bed, uncovering a hidden trapdoor. Alice ran into her room next door and got changed rapidly. As she struggled to pull the ill-fitting clothes on, she looked around her room- she wouldn't be coming back, she somehow knew. There was nothing she wanted to take with; all of her 'treasures' seemed so childish now. But she hesitated over the dirty lump of crystal resting on a bookshelf. Paldir had given it to her on her birthday, a few weeks before everything had happened. Before everything had changed.

"Alice!" her grandfather said urgently. She grabbed the crystal and stuffed it in her pocket, and then followed her grandfather down the trapdoor. He closed it carefully behind them, and murmured a short spell. In the deserted rooms, the rug rolled over the trapdoor again, concealing their escape.

_Meanwhile..._

"Get your men to close the gates. No one is to get in or out until further orders!" barked King Galbatorix as he passed his guardsmen. They saluted stiffly and ran to do his bidding. He mounted the stairs towards Lord Alaric's quarters two steps at a time, a strange smile lighting up his expression.

What the boy had had to say was very interesting- particularly about Lord Alaric teaching his granddaughter magic. He hadn't known the old codger had such magical ability! He was a spy, then, and a good one. To play the King for a fool while even serving on his Council of Lords! The audacity of the deception was a masterstroke- he'd never suspected a thing.

The boy had been more than willing to rat out Lord Alaric- the brat clearly had no love or loyalty for him. But the boy insisted on first having King's word that Alice, his little friend, wouldn't get in trouble. He'd stood there, quivering like a leaf in the wind, yet demanding in a squeak that the King (the King!) gave his word! At first Galbatorix felt annoyed, more concerned with the revelation of Alaric's betrayal, than some stupid brat girl... but then the insistence of the boy halted his train of thought, and for a second, he turned his prodigious mind to the girl. She'd apparently befriended his dragon, though he dismissed that as a child's fanciful imaginings. He'd scoured Shruikan's mind himself, and found him even more uncommunicative than usual. And dragons were supposed to be intelligent! He'd gotten nothing from that encounter beyond a few hazy memories of the children arriving from the drain. Frankly, a waste of his time.

The girl knew some magic- also unusual, though not impossible, if her grandfather had used his own powers to disguise it. Then, the King had had a sudden, disturbing thought, which scattered all his other concerns to the wind. For a few moments, he'd stood silent, feeling waves of the most profound shock he'd experienced in years travelled through him... _Was it even possible_?

Then he'd given Paldir's head a playful tousle and a warm, "You have my gratitude..." Paldir gaped. "Mm... Such a good child. I have great plans for you, my boy. It's clear you are destined for much more than kitchens." He winked kindly at him, and left at a half-run. Paldir realised his face had been healed, and shyly smiled to himself. Maybe he'd finally done something right.

The King's mind was filled with questions that needed as he neared Lord Alaric's quarters. _Was it possible that...? but that would mean... Surely it couldn't be..._

He burst through Lord Alaric's door, breathing heavily, and stormed through the deserted rooms. He walked right over the concealed door without realising, and looked out of the window. The low afternoon light tainted everything with a red-orange hue, like dried blood. They were gone.

"Damn..." he cursed, and exited the rooms at a half-run. _If my men don't stop them at the gates, I will have all of their heads on pikes!_ He thought furiously.

_Meanwhile..._

Lord Alaric and Alice raced down the worn stones of the old disused servant's passages that ran all the way to the stables, bypassing the main entrances of the castle. The only obstacle after that would be to ride across the expanse of the castle courtyard, and through the drawbridge gates. Lord Alaric hoped they would make it in time.

"What were the rest of the books, Grandfather?" panted Alice from behind him.

"There are thirteen total," he replied gruffly, "And they cover all the areas of magic that the King is proficient in."

"Why?" asked Alice blankly. They halted briefly to catch their breath.

"The idea is quite simple. It seems impossible to defeat the King. But, if a spellcaster, or more likely several spellcasters, can reach the same or higher level in skill as the King, then logically, he _can_ be defeated." Lord Alaric didn't sound completely convinced of the idea. "At the very least," he added, "It may help a clever person uncover a weakness in the King's repertoire. That is why it was necessary for me to get close to the King, and know what he knows."

"There's no one cleverer than you, Grandfather."

"You think so?" he asked, amused.

"Of course," asserted Alice confidently. "Have you discovered a weakness yet?"

"No, not yet." He grinned at her suddenly, showing his teeth, "But even I have an ace up my sleeve... A risky adventure that has taken years of research." Alice sighed. He was being very mysterious. "If my efforts pay off," he continued, "Enemies of the King will have a great weapon to use in their fight. That's my contribution to the Quest."

"Well... Which book is it in?" asked Alice, excited.

His eyes twinkled at her. "Now that _would_ be telling..." he laughed, and gestured that they continue.

They were almost at the stables. Beyond that, the gates were still clear... but they wouldn't be for long.


End file.
